Entertainment

Controller-Free Xbox Gets a Name: "Kinect"

The Xbox 360's new motion gaming peripheral will be called "Microsoft Kinect," replacing "Project Natal," the old development name, USA Today reports. There are also some new details about the games that will be available for the device.

As we reported earlier today, one of the games will be a white water rafting simulation. It turns out that game (River Rush) will actually be part of a suite of games called Kinect Adventures. Another suite titled Kinect Sports will take on — yep, you guessed it — Nintendo's Wii Sports. That package will include bowling, boxing, track and field, volleyball, table tennis and soccer/football.

A separate game called Joyride will be a bit like Nintendo's Mario Kart or Sony's ModNation Racers, but you'll control your car by holding an imaginary steering wheel that you'll push forward or pull away to control the throttle. No casual gaming lineup would be complete without pets, so Microsoft will also launch a game called Kinectimals, in which you'll be able to play with or train 20 kinds of cats using motion controls.

Finally, MTV Games is working on a dance competition title called Dance Central, and franchise games featuring characters and settings from Disney and Star Wars movies are set for launch as well.

Stay tuned for pricing and exact release date — both will probably be revealed this week at the E3 games conference in Los Angeles.

As a side note, we'll mention that an Italian video ad featuring the Kinect brand also mentions a new, slimmer version of the Xbox 360 console itself. That hasn't been announced officially, but it seems likely since the leaked ad called the Kinect name too.

Samuel Axon is a digital content producer in New York City. He has worked as an editor at Engadget, Mashable and the Joystiq network, and currently leads content strategy as Editorial Director at Sprout Social.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.